BENGALURU: The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday adjourned the hearing of former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s plea seeking to quash a case against him for the alleged harassment of a minor, to September 27.
Yediyurappa had filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court seeking to quash a case registered against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in March this year. Earlier, Justice M Nagaprasanna heard the POCSO case registered against Yediyurappa along with the petitions filed by him seeking grant of anticipatory bail.
A bench headed by Justice Nagaprasanna had also issued an order extending the exemption granted to Yediyurappa not to be arrested and to attend the hearing. At the same time, the lawyer for the victim demanded that Yediyurappa be arrested and interrogated and that time should be given to present his arguments.
On March 3, 2024, a POCSO case was registered against Yediyurappa at the Sadashivnagar police station on charges of sexual harassment of a minor. A FIR based on this complaint was also registered. Considering the seriousness of the case, the government had transferred it to CID. The CID officials had issued a notice to Yediyurappa and asked him to attend the hearing. Accordingly, Yediyurappa attended the court proceeding and made his statement.
Yediyurappa had filed two separate petitions in the High Court seeking quashing of the case against him and grant of anticipatory bail related to the same case. In June this year, after a non-bailable arrest warrant was issued against Yediyurappa, the BJP said Congress leaders are “hatching conspiracy” after their “humiliating defeat” in the Lok Sabha elections. The party claimed that the Congress was trying to divert attention from alleged corruption cases involving ministers. (ANI)